First of all, we wanted to thank everyone who came to our most recent Shabbat service. We had a wonderful turnout thanks to our guests from the Beth Chaim congregation from Danville, who came to support us in solidarity. This just goes to show how much the various Jewish communities in the East Bay can support each other amidst these turbulent times. We will be working to arrange more of these kinds of events in the future.
We also wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving this week as you spend time with friends and family with turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and other traditional tasty treats. Incredibly, this tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving during the last week of November is quite recent, only dating back to the Civil War. Before then, families and communities could hold a thanksgiving whenever they had something for which they were thankful. The concept of Thanksgiving itself is a deeply held Jewish value. As stated in the 23rd chapter of Exodus, after working the fields for six years, the Israelites would leave the fields fallow so that the poor “may eat from the field”. The ancient Israelites were thankful for the bounty the land provided and then expressed their thanks by providing charity for those who needed it. So as we sit down to our Thanksgiving feasts, let us be reminded that thanksgiving should not be consigned to just a single day of the year. Instead, we can celebrate thanksgiving at any time for those we are thankful for in our lives.
When we all return from Thanksgiving, we have several fun events planned for the community. Our annual Hanukkah Fair will take place on Sunday, December 3 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.. We are looking for volunteers to help out with set up, running games, helping out in the kitchen to make latkes, etc. You can find the link for the sign-up sheet on the next page. Thank you to everyone who will contribute their time and effort to make this event a joyous occasion for the end of the year. And for our new members, we will be holding a special Shabbat service for our newest TBH members in January.
Also, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all our members who volunteered to serve on the newly created search committee to look for TBH’s next rabbi. We will all miss Dean very much after his retirement next year but this also marks the next chapter in the story of TBH. We and the members of the committee will be working hard to find a worthy successor for our beloved Rabbi Dean. As part of this effort, shortly we will be sending out a survey for members to fill out indicating what qualities you would like to see in our future Rabbi. We look forward to hearing from all of you and welcome your input.
And for those who wish to make a difference in our own community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Temple Beth Hillel Board of Directors next year. Our Board is always on the lookout for members who have ideas for the future of the temple and the ability to carry out that vision. Serving on the Board makes us appreciate how much Temple Beth Hillel means to us and our children. And for those who wish to volunteer for Food for Thought this year, there is a sign up sheet in the main hallway.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. The next Family Shabbat will occur on Friday, December 15, starting at 6:15 p.m. so please help spread the word. We will be hosting the second annual Dreidel Olympics, so be sure to come and show off your dreidel skills. Torah Study will resume every Saturday at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom and the Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean (see calendar for dates). And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Thank you everyone!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Anna B Stein and David Zimring, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel
From the Presidents – Nov. 23, 2023
November 23, 2023 by tbhrich • president
Shalom Everyone!
First of all, we wanted to thank everyone who came to our most recent Shabbat service. We had a wonderful turnout thanks to our guests from the Beth Chaim congregation from Danville, who came to support us in solidarity. This just goes to show how much the various Jewish communities in the East Bay can support each other amidst these turbulent times. We will be working to arrange more of these kinds of events in the future.
We also wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving this week as you spend time with friends and family with turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, and other traditional tasty treats. Incredibly, this tradition of celebrating Thanksgiving during the last week of November is quite recent, only dating back to the Civil War. Before then, families and communities could hold a thanksgiving whenever they had something for which they were thankful. The concept of Thanksgiving itself is a deeply held Jewish value. As stated in the 23rd chapter of Exodus, after working the fields for six years, the Israelites would leave the fields fallow so that the poor “may eat from the field”. The ancient Israelites were thankful for the bounty the land provided and then expressed their thanks by providing charity for those who needed it. So as we sit down to our Thanksgiving feasts, let us be reminded that thanksgiving should not be consigned to just a single day of the year. Instead, we can celebrate thanksgiving at any time for those we are thankful for in our lives.
When we all return from Thanksgiving, we have several fun events planned for the community. Our annual Hanukkah Fair will take place on Sunday, December 3 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.. We are looking for volunteers to help out with set up, running games, helping out in the kitchen to make latkes, etc. You can find the link for the sign-up sheet on the next page. Thank you to everyone who will contribute their time and effort to make this event a joyous occasion for the end of the year. And for our new members, we will be holding a special Shabbat service for our newest TBH members in January.
Also, we wanted to express our deepest gratitude for all our members who volunteered to serve on the newly created search committee to look for TBH’s next rabbi. We will all miss Dean very much after his retirement next year but this also marks the next chapter in the story of TBH. We and the members of the committee will be working hard to find a worthy successor for our beloved Rabbi Dean. As part of this effort, shortly we will be sending out a survey for members to fill out indicating what qualities you would like to see in our future Rabbi. We look forward to hearing from all of you and welcome your input.
And for those who wish to make a difference in our own community, we highly encourage you to consider joining the Temple Beth Hillel Board of Directors next year. Our Board is always on the lookout for members who have ideas for the future of the temple and the ability to carry out that vision. Serving on the Board makes us appreciate how much Temple Beth Hillel means to us and our children. And for those who wish to volunteer for Food for Thought this year, there is a sign up sheet in the main hallway.
Finally, our next regular Shabbat Service will take place on Friday, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. The next Family Shabbat will occur on Friday, December 15, starting at 6:15 p.m. so please help spread the word. We will be hosting the second annual Dreidel Olympics, so be sure to come and show off your dreidel skills. Torah Study will resume every Saturday at 10:15 a.m. on Zoom and the Adult Education class will be hosted by Rabbi Dean (see calendar for dates). And of course, we encourage everyone to come to our wonderful Tefillah services at Religious School every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Thank you everyone!
If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
If I am not for others, what am I?
And if not now, when? -Rabbi Hillel
~ Anna B Stein and David Zimring, Co-Presidents, Temple Beth Hillel